Rev d Manette Crossman, Vicar of Great Barton and Thurston Tel

Transcription

1 Rev d Manette Crossman, Vicar of Great Barton and Thurston Tel revmcrossman@gmail.com In my last letter I shared with you how busy and hectic life in the Vicarage can be, but the past two months have been very different. And for those of you who haven t heard the story, yes, it was Darcy, my youngest Labrador who caused me to have a fall and break my collarbone a complicated fracture close to my shoulder and, of course, on my right-hand side. After a wonderful coffee morning at the Vicarage on a sunny Saturday morning in June I decided to take Darcy out and do some dog training with him on a training leash (I have since learnt that taking out big strong dogs on a long leash is not a good idea). As I opened the study door, Darcy saw a rabbit and shot off at his usual speed and the next thing I remember is finding myself lying on the ground and not feeling too good Thankfully, my daughter Katharine saw what happened and after a quick evaluation of the situation she called an ambulance which arrived within 20 minutes. As I sat in the ambulance and the morphine was beginning to do its work, I began to give instructions who she should phone or message as I knew that my churchwardens now faced the unenviable task of covering the services for the following day. I have nothing but praise for the way wardens, colleagues and parishioners stepped up to the breach and life in the parishes carried on much as usual. Services, Café Church, Holiday Club, St. Peter s Gift Day, Great Barton Open Gardens and many other events happened thanks to wonderful teams of people some of whom, I suspect, might not have volunteered if I had been there. That certainly gives some scope for reflection! I also need to praise the emergency services and staff at the West Suffolk Hospital where my daughter and I spent the best part of Saturday night for their prompt, friendly and professional care. A huge thank you is also due to the fabulous band of helpers, parishioners, friends and neighbours, who have supported me and helped me with the many things I couldn t do and some of the things I still can t do household tasks, shopping, providing cooked meals, transport, dog walking and much more. Following another appointment at the hospital this week, I now know that the fracture is beginning to heal. I will be able to start physio soon and hope to regain much of the mobility in my right arm. Although I will need an operation on the bone in the future, I am beginning to look forward to life returning to something resembling normality over the next few months. I am gradually phasing back into the rotas and I look forward to catching up with you all very soon.

2 For me the hot weather has been a blessing, not having to worry about rain coats or 12 muddy dog paws to be dried with one hand even though, as I write this, we ve have had some much-needed rain. And, as the weather has given many opportunities for conversations and complaints, I ll leave you with a little poem which one of my daughters came across in Cornwall. Perhaps someone will feel inspired to write a similar poem for Suffolk! Every blessing, Rev d Manette The weather prayer Our father which art in Porthleven Fed up be thy name The rain has come They will be as wet in Helston As it is in Porthleven. Give us an umbrella, for our daily soak And forgive us our daily moans As we forgive those who moan to us. And lead us not into depression But deliver us a pizza, For Cornwall is the kingdom The pasties and the cream For ever and ever. Amen. The next By Belinda Higgs will be on Sunday 16 September At the Church Institute we begin with breakfast at 9am

3 What s the difference between you and a Hospice Volunteer? About 4 hours a week. Reception, Ward Work, Kitchen, Fundraising, Gardening, Administration and Family Support. To make a rewarding contribution to the care and comfort of our patients, call today and speak to our Voluntary Services Manager. Flower Arrangers and Cleaners in church are needed to join our rotas Flower Arrangers please see Wendy Jones Cleaners please speak to Linda Scoles

4

5 The visit to the Dads Army Museum was enjoyed by all. There was no meeting in August so we look forward to catching up in September. Tuesday 18 September Thursday 18 October Speaker: Caroline Baker Lebanon Please note that this is a Tuesday Speaker: Rev d Manette Crossman Thursday 15 November Speaker: Marie Smith Meetings are at 2.30pm in the Church Institute. New members are always welcome to our meetings. Lifts can be arranged. Give us a call: Pat Sheppard Isabel Sawyers Bangers and Bingo Saturday 29 September 6 for 6.30pm at the Church Institute Contact Molly

6 Welcome to Great Barton New to the Village? If you or a neighbour has recently moved into the village you might like a VILLAGE WELCOME PACK. Please contact Mr Richard Leveritt WEST SUFFOLK SIGHT would welcome new partially sighted members to the Pakenham Club Please contact Mary Jane,

7 The Friends charity provides long-term funds for the maintenance and repair of Holy Innocents Church building and its environs. If you wish to help with a donation or codicil to your will, or act as a trustee, please contact Colin Tiffin on or colintiffin@btinternet.com. Friends of Holy Innocents Church Great Barton Registered Charity The publishing of advertisements in The Messenger does not constitute either a recommendation of those advertisers or a guarantee of satisfaction of work or services. Readers use the services of advertisers at their own risk. It is good practice to seek competing quotations and to take up references.

8 A memorial to the father and to the son One of the memorial tablets in the church. up on the wall in the chapel wing. was erected as much for the father as the son in whose name it was erected. The tablet states it was in memory of John Phillips, but goes on to say he was the son of John Phillips of Pall Mall, for upwards of half a century surgeon to the Royal Household. The John who died and is buried in the churchyard also had a son John who went on to live at The Lodge and farmed Lodge Farm what is now the stud rented from the Bunburys. He died in 1890 and is also buried here. John Phillips, the surgeon, was appointed surgeon to the Court of Queen Victoria who took a liking to him. One of his sons was a surgeon in the army, but went on to succeed him and, when a lady-in-waiting was taken sick, the Queen asked for attention. John said, I will send the boy Charles round. The Queen found that amusing so always referred to him as Boy Charles and, on the death of his father, he succeeded to his place in royal circles where he also was held in high esteem. He was a favourite of the Queen who more than once declared that so long as there was a member of the medical profession in the Phillips family, he should be appointed to the Court. Charles stayed in his post up to his death in There were no more medical members of the family. The Phillips dynasty started from the daughter of Sir William Bunbury of Mildenhall. She married John Phillips from Norfolk in They had thirteen children, many of whom were born at Barton Hall. Many went on to have great careers and also many children. The family thrives today with the retired Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers. When Master of the Rolls, he carried a copy of Magna Carta at the ceremony in Bury some years ago not knowing of his connection with Great Barton. He later visited the village and took great interest in both the village and the history of the family and its origins. Our thanks to Frank Holmes for giving us permission to share this with our readers

9 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land 5 14 November 2019 You are warmly invited to join a small group pilgrimage to the Holy Land in November If you haven t already made this journey of a lifetime, we offer an opportunity for you to come with us and allow the Old and New Testaments to come to life as we follow in Our Lord s footsteps. We shall be exploring Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Capernaum, Nazareth, Jericho, Caesarea Philippi, and many other well-known places. We shall float in the Dead Sea, ascend by cable car both the Mount of Temptation and Herod s desert fortress palace at Masada. We shall walk together along the Via Dolorosa and sail on the Sea of Galilee, and we shall celebrate Holy Communion in a first century cave (perhaps the same cave where shepherds watched their flocks by night ) near Bethlehem, and at Tabgha, on a beautiful and peaceful shore beside the Sea of Galilee. We shall also have an opportunity to visit a Christian Arab rehabilitation centre and a boys orphanage. Our visits each day will be punctuated with readings and brief reflections which will help bring to life many familiar biblical and historical places and events. If your appetite is whetted to know more, please contact me for a brochure on or text me on or jmarknhunt@gmail.com Best wishes, Mark (Revd Mark Hunt)

10 The Children s Society shop is currently closed as Julia recovers from a fall. We wish her a full and speedy recovery. Church of the Holy Innocents 200 Club June 2018 Draw First Prize 100 Mr J Pitcher Ticket No. 157 Second Prize 50 Mrs Beth Harris Ticket No. 132 July 2018 Draw First Prize 100 Mrs T Brindley Ticket No. 229 Second Prize 50 Mr T Wootton Ticket No. 235 August 2018 Draw First Prize 100 Miss F Ridgewell Ticket No. 189 Second Prize 50 Mr L Atwell Ticket No. 245 Meeting Point Our community café runs every Wednesday at the Church Institute, Great Barton Join us for coffee or a light lunch... and some good company

11

12 Dates for Your Diary 2018 Saturday 1 September Friday 14 September Organ recital by David Honeyball at St Peter s Church, Thurston St Peter s Church and Thurston Library Village Quiz, Cavendish Hall, Thurston, 7pm Saturday 29 September Bangers and Bingo at the Church Institute Friday 5 October Saturday 17 November Saturday 24 November Saturday 24 November Saturday 1 December St Peter s Harvest Supper, Cavendish Hall, Thurston Holy Innocents Christmas Fayre, Church Institute St Peter s Christmas Bazaar, Cavendish Hall, Thurston Bangers and Bingo at the Church Institute The Harvesters Concert at St Peter s, Thurston December Christmas Tree Festival, Holy Innocents, Great Barton, and St Peter s, Thurston Thursday 20 December Kirbye Voices concert in Holy Innocents Church Please look on our website for more information for all our events: The deadline for the October issue of The Messenger is Saturday 15 September. Please copy to Kate Laidler